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Q: What does the Lord mean
when He says in Romans 1:20 that "even his eternal power and Godhead;"
are revealed in the creation. How is the Trinity evident in
creation?
A: Romans 1:20 states, "For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."
This verse tells us that two things are clearly seen about
God in creation. The first revelation is of an eternal
power. That is, there must have been a power sufficient to
create the universe we see and that power must have
preceeded the universe we know and could have nothing
preceeding it--that is, it must be eternal.
It is important to note that the first revelation (of an
eternal power) does not require a personal God. It could be
fulfilled by an impersonal force. Therefore, Paul points out
a second revelation that can be seen in creation--the
Godhead. The word, Godhead, is found only three times in the
Bible: Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9. It does, as
you mention, refer to the three-in-one God. However, it is
in no way a synonym for trinity. The word does not mean
trinity.
The word, Godhead, refers to the person of God or we might
better say the divine personality. In Acts 17:29, we read,
"Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not
to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or
stone, graven by art and man's device." The Godhead is
contrasted with a lifeless image made by man's device. The
Godhead is not a lifeless image. He is a living being. As
stated in this verse, we are His offspring. How could the
one who created thinking, feeling beings be an impersonal
force? He could not.
That is the essence of what is being taught in Romans 1:20.
Not only does creation show that there must be an eternal
power behind all things,
creation also shows the touch of a personal deity. He
thinks, He loves, He creates, He designs. How do we know
this from creation? I already
mentioned the existence of man. If man can think, dream,
love, hate, feel, appreciate beauty, and much more, how
could his Creator be nothing more than an impersonal force?
But there are other evidences. Design is an attribute of
personality and this world shows multiple examples of God's
designing hand. More than
that, we see His love for beauty and variety. Psalm 104:24
states, "O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast
thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." The
word, manifold, means many-folded and refers to the variety
of creation. The wisdom of God's works refer to
their quality. The earth being full of God's riches refers
to the great quantity of created things. Infinite variety
and design do not indicate an impersonal power, but rather a
personal God. It points to a Godhead.
Till He comes,
Pastor David Reagan